Set of building components
A set of building components includes at least connector components and elongate members. A connector component includes a main body and one or more receptacles. In some embodiments, a connector component may also include male studs and/or female receiving areas configured to couple the connector to other components or conventional building blocks which include the corresponding feature. The elongate members can be secured within the receptacles of the connectors and, in some embodiments, may include slots along a lateral surface to facilitate this connection and provide an additional coupling for further building components. Moreover, in some embodiments, a set of building components may also include sliders configured to be movably coupled around the elongate members. The sliders may also include male studs and/or female receiving areas in some embodiments.
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This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/942,349, filed Feb. 20, 2014, entitled “Set of Building Components,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a set of building components. More specifically, the present invention relates to a set of building components that includes connectors with coupling portions configured to receive elongate or elongated members, such that the set of building components facilitates the construction of large assemblies with minimal components.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSets of building blocks, and in particular sets of building blocks with coupling portions, are well known and widely popular among children. Some conventional sets of building blocks include blocks that have a body that includes an upper portion and several side walls that extend downwardly from the upper portion. The downwardly extending walls define a cavity or aperture therebetween. Typically, one or more studs or posts extend from the upper surface of the block. The cavity or aperture defined by these walls is sized to receive the studs of another block so that a user may stack or build multiple blocks on top of each other. Generally, the studs of a first block are inserted into an aperture or cavity of a second block in order to stack, build or otherwise couple the first and second blocks together.
Conventional blocks that are coupled to each other are retained in a coupled arrangement by the friction between the outer surfaces of the stud or studs of one block and the walls and other surfaces of another block with which the studs are in contact. The outer side surface or surfaces of a stud are perpendicular to the upper portion of the block from which they extend. Similarly, the walls or surfaces of a block that are engaged by a stud are perpendicular to the upper portion of that block. Thus, when blocks are coupled together, the blocks must be at least partially vertically aligned or overlapped. Due to this, a set of conventional blocks intended to provide an assembly with a large footprint must include an extremely large number of conventional blocks which, in turn, renders large assemblies expensive and time-consuming to create.
In contrast with conventional building blocks, some conventional building sets have been introduced which include connectors and rods. While these sets may allow for large creations to be made relatively quickly, it is sometimes difficult to include the same amount of detail or decoration with these conventional building sets, particularly in comparison to traditional building blocks. Additionally, these sets are typically not combinable or usable with conventional building blocks that include studs and cavities, as described above. Thus, there is a need for a new design for a set of building components that can reduce the amount of building components required to build a large structure or creation and can be used in connection with conventional building blocks.
SUMMARYAccording to at least one embodiment of the present invention, a set of building components includes a first connector including at least one receptacle, a second connector including at least one receptacle, and an elongate member including a first end and a second end. The first end of the elongate member is configured to be secured in a receptacle of the first connector and the second end of the elongate member is configured to be secured in a receptacle of the second connector.
Like reference numerals have been used to identify like elements throughout this disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONGenerally referring to the figures, at least one exemplary set of building components in accordance with the present invention is shown. A set of building components includes two main types of building components: connectors and elongate members, each of which may include various features and configurations, as will be described in detail below. The connectors of the present invention each include one or more receptacles configured to receive the elongate members of the present invention. Additionally, some implementations of the connector components may also include one or more projecting portions or studs and/or one or more receiver or receiving areas that are configured to receive a stud included on another building component.
It is to be understood that the term “building component” is used herein to refer to any article or item included in the set of the present invention which may be used to construct an assembly. The quantity of receptacles, receiving areas, and studs included on a building component can vary—depending on the shape, size, and configuration of the building component—from component to component and in particular, from connector component to connector component. In fact, some embodiments may include no studs and/or receiving areas. In the embodiments which include studs and/or receiving areas, the studs and/or receiving areas may be arranged in one or more rows on any desirable surface of the building component, depending on the width of the surface of that building component. For example, the studs may be arranged in a 1 by 6 grid. Alternatively, the studs may be arranged in a 2 by 3 grid or a 6 by 6 grid, depending on the shape and size of the building component. In embodiments which include studs and receiving areas, the arrangement and quantity and arrangement of receiving areas preferably mirrors or matches the arrangement of studs on that particular building component.
Additionally, the term “building component” is not limited to articles or items which are block-shaped. For example, while one embodiment of a building component according to the present invention is a rectangular parallelepiped, other embodiments of the building component may be flat and/or arcuate. Also, in some embodiments, a building component may have a configuration that is not a standard geometric shape. For example, a building component may be a portion of a building (such as a toy window, door, door frame, etc.) or a toy vehicle (an axle supporting structure, car window, a hood, a trunk, etc.) or other product.
As shown in the top view provided by
Accordingly, and as shown best in
Still referring to
In contrast with families 100 and 200, families 300 and 400 include connectors that do not include any studs 70. Instead, and as shown in
Now referring specifically to
In addition to a through receptacle extending through the main body, each of the sliders 500 may also include additional features on the surfaces surrounding the through receptacle. Due to the inclusion of a through receptacle, any such additional features will be oriented perpendicular to the through receptacle. For example, in this particular embodiment, slider 510 includes a receptacle 90 extending from a sidewall while slider 520 includes two receptacles 90 extending from two of its side walls and each of the receptacles 90 included on sliders 510 and 520 extends perpendicularly away from the through receptacle. By comparison, building component 530 includes studs 70 on the surfaces which surround the horizontal through receptacle—its top surface, bottom surface, and two opposing side walls that do not contain the through receptacle—and each of the studs extends perpendicularly away from the through receptacle.
Still referring to
Additionally, it is to be understood that the elongate members 600 may be manufactured from any desirable material. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the elongate members 600 may be sufficiently stiff, but in other embodiments, the elongate members 600 may be flexible to provide curved connections between building components (see elongate member 650 of
Referring to
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As shown in
In some embodiments, when an elongate member 600 is inserted into cavity 92 of a receptacle 90, each of the top 602 and walls 604, 606 engage at least one of the receptacle walls 90A, 90B, 90C, and 90D in order to frictionally secure the elongate member 600 within the receptacle 90. In this particular embodiment, the C-shape of the elongate member 600 facilitates this engagement by providing an elongate member 600 that may be able to flex or bend inwards into slot 614 and away from the receptacle walls 90A, 90B, 90C, and 90D to decrease the frictional resistance between the elongate member 600 and the receptacle walls 90A, 90B, 90C, and 90D when the elongate member 600 is inserted therein. Furthermore, in some embodiments, a C-shaped elongate member 600 may be secured to a connector by inserting a portion of the connector into the slot 614 in lieu of or in addition to the engagement provided by receptacle 90. For at least these reasons, a substantially C-shaped elongate member 600 may be preferred. However, despite this preference, it is to be understood that the elongate member 600 need not include a slot 614 in order to be frictionally secured within a receptacle 90.
Still referring to
Moreover, in some implementations, slot 614 of the U-shaped elongate member 600 may be shaped or otherwise configured to receive additional building materials, as is described in detail below, such that slot 614 provides an additional benefit and play feature. Thus, while the rotational alignment of the elongate member 600 within a receptacle may not impact whether the elongate member 600 may be secured within a receptacle 90 in all embodiments, the rotational alignment may still be important for the orientation of slot 614. Thus, to maximize the possible rotational alignments that a slot 614 may be disposed in, the cross sections of the elongate member 600 and the receptacle 90 are preferably the same, equilateral shape.
Now referring specifically to
Now turning to
Within the top 754, sides 756, 760, and bottom 756, the slider 700 includes a through receptacle 790 that extends from a first side 758 to a second side 762. Consequently, an elongate member 600 can be inserted through the receptacle 790, and as the name implies, the slider 700 may slide thereon. Moreover, in this particular embodiment, the through receptacle is movably coupled to the main body 752 via a rotatable support 792. Thus, the main body 752 may rotate around the through receptacle 790, or vice versa, to provide a new and interesting play feature that can both move on an elongate member 600 and move around an elongate member 600. Notably, slider 700 was not shown included in the set 5. Nevertheless, it is to be understood that each of the sliders 500 included in set 5 may be modified or altered to include a support similar to support 792 such that the main body of each of the sliders 500 may rotate with respect to its through receptacle and vice versa.
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First,
Notably, as shown in
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Then, once the assembly begins to be built upwards with elongate members 600, sliders or slider assemblies—any number of sliders coupled together via an elongate member(s)—may be slid onto the elongate members 600. For example, in
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Second, in
Finally, turning to
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since it will be apparent that various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the inventions and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. In addition, various features from one of the embodiments may be incorporated into another of the embodiments. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims. For example, a building component of the present invention can be of any size and shape.
It is also to be understood that building components of the present invention, or portions thereof may be fabricated from any suitable material or combination of materials, such as plastic, foamed plastic, wood, cardboard, pressed paper, metal, supple natural or synthetic materials including, but not limited to, cotton, elastomers, polyester, plastic, rubber, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof. Suitable plastics may include high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), or the like. Suitable foamed plastics may include expanded or extruded polystyrene, expanded or extruded polypropylene, EVA foam, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.
Finally, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. For example, it is to be understood that terms such as “left,” “right,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “side,” “height,” “length,” “width,” “upper,” “lower,” “interior,” “exterior,” “inner,” “outer” and the like as may be used herein, merely describe points of reference and do not limit the present invention to any particular orientation or configuration. Further, the term “exemplary” is used herein to describe an example or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as exemplary is not to be construed as a preferred or advantageous embodiment, but rather as one example or illustration of a possible embodiment of the invention.
Claims
1. A set of building components comprising:
- at least one building component comprising: a main body; at least one first receptacle extending away from the main body; and a second receptacle extending through the main body;
- an elongate member including a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the elongate member is configured to be removably secured in one of the at least one first receptacle included on a first building component of the at least one building component and the second end of the elongate member is configured to be removably secured in one of the at least one first receptacle included on a second building component of the at least one building component to couple the first building component to the second component at a distance away from the first building component, and wherein the elongate member is configured to movably engage the second receptacle such that the at least one building component can slide along a length of the elongate member.
2. The set of building components of claim 1, wherein the at least one building component further comprises:
- an upper surface; and
- at least one side wall extending downwards from the upper surface.
3. The set of building components of claim 2, wherein the at least one first receptacle extends perpendicularly outward from one or more of the at least one side wall.
4. The set of building components of claim 2, wherein the main body includes four side walls and one of the at least one first receptacle extends perpendicularly outward from each of the four side walls, wherein the four side walls are substantially rectangular such that each of the first receptacles is offset approximately ninety degrees from the other first receptacles.
5. The set of building components of claim 3, wherein the at least one building component further comprises:
- at least one receiving area; and
- at least one stud, wherein a stud included on a first building component is configured to engage a receiving area included on a second building component, and vice versa, to removably couple the first building component to the second component adjacent each other; and wherein the at least one stud extends upwardly from the upper surface of the main body.
6. The set of building components of claim 5, wherein the at least one stud includes an outer surface defining the periphery of the at least one stud, the at least one receiving area is formed in a cavity that is formed collectively by the main body and side walls of the building component, and the outer surface of the at least one stud is configured to engage the at least one receiving area in the cavity.
7. The set of building components of claim 5, wherein the at least one receptacle comprises:
- four receptacle walls which extend perpendicularly from the main body to form a receptacle cavity therebetween.
8. The set of building components of claim 1, wherein the elongate member further comprises:
- a top;
- a first side and a second side extending downward from the top; and
- an interior wall that extends arcuately upwardly towards the top between the first side and the second side to form a longitudinal slot along at least a portion of the elongate member.
9. The set of building components of claim 1, wherein the elongate member is substantially C-shaped.
10. A set of building components comprising:
- a first building component;
- a second building component, wherein the first and second building components each include at least one receptacle;
- an elongate member including a first end, a second end, and a slot extending along a portion of the elongate member between the first end and the second end, wherein the elongate member is substantially C-shaped, and wherein the first end of the elongate member is configured to be removably secured in a receptacle of the first building component and the second end of the elongate member is configured to be removably secured in a receptacle of the building component to couple the first building component to the second component at a distance away from the first building component; and
- a plate, the plate being configured to engage the slot of the elongate member to movably couple the plate to the elongate member.
11. The set of building components of claim 10, wherein the elongate member further comprises:
- a first side;
- a second side and a third side extending downward from the first; and
- an interior wall that extends arcuately upwardly towards the first side between the second and third sides to form a longitudinal slot along at least a portion of the elongate member.
12. The set of building components of claim 10, wherein the slot is substantially keyhole-shaped.
13. The set of building components of claim 11, wherein the second and third walls of the elongate member are resilient, such that that the second and third walls may be selectively flexed into the slot to allow the elongate member to be inserted into a receptacle and configured to naturally return to their original position to secure the elongate member to the receptacle once inserted therein.
14. The set of building components of claim 10, wherein the first and second building component each further comprise:
- at least one receiving area; and
- at least one stud, wherein the at least one stud of the first building component is configured to engage the at least one receiving area of the second building component, and vice versa, to removably couple the first building component to the second component adjacent each other.
15. A building component for a set of building components, comprising:
- a main body with an upper surface; and
- at least one side wall extending downwards from the upper surface;
- at least one grid of studs extending from at least one of the upper surface and the at least one side wall; and
- at least one receptacle formed on at least one of the upper surface or side walls that do not include a grid of studs, each of the at least one receptacles including receptacle walls configured to collectively form a receptacle cavity configured to movably engage the perimeter of a c-shaped elongate member, such that the at least one building component can slide along a length of the elongate member.
16. The building component of claim 15, wherein the at least one receptacle extends through the main body.
17. The building component of claim 15, wherein the receptacle is movably coupled to the main body via a rotatable support, such that the main body is configured to rotate around the receptacle.
18. A set of building components comprising:
- at least one building component of claim 15;
- at least one elongate member including a longitudinal slot and configured to engage the at least one receptacle in order to couple a first building component of claim 16 to a second building component of claim 16 at a distance apart; and
- a plate configured to be coupled to the at least one elongate member via the longitudinal slot.
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Type: Grant
Filed: May 16, 2014
Date of Patent: Apr 12, 2016
Assignee: Mattel, Inc. (El Segundo, CA)
Inventor: Ronald Torres (Hacienda Heights, CA)
Primary Examiner: Kurt Fernstrom
Application Number: 14/280,106
International Classification: A63H 33/08 (20060101); A63H 33/04 (20060101);